1 Chronicles 19:1-19

Misunderstanding and prejudice can be very dangerous things.  When the king of the Ammonites died, David sent a group of men to console his son and show his support because the king had been an ally to David.  What David intended as a gesture of sympathy and comfort was taken as an act of aggression and espionage.  The young Ammonite king took this group of men, shaved their beards and cut off their clothing so that they would be exposed.  This act of humiliation triggered guilt and the assumption that Israel would retaliate.  The new king paid for the Syrian army to come to their aid and the new alliance began to prepare to make a preemptive attack on Israel.  David had no choice but to defend his nation and send his army into war.  The sad thing is that none of this was necessary.  David’s heart was sincere and he truly wanted to continue his alliance with the Ammonites.  We too often suffer from the results of misunderstandings and lack of communication that can lead us down a very dark and difficult path.  We must be careful not to jump to conclusions too quickly and even more careful not to act on those conclusions before that are confirmed.

DAVID DEFENDS HIS PEOPLE: One of the qualities that I admire the most in David is his loyalty.  He was loyal to Saul even when Saul was trying to kill him.  David was loyal to his friend Jonathan and showed kindness to Jonathan’s son for his sake.  In this text we continue to see David’s loyalty to the former king of the Ammonites when he tries to send a message of comfort to the new king.  When his men are humiliated and degraded, David is loyal to them and relieves them of their responsibilities until they have time to grow out their beards.  When the Ammonites and Syrians began to rally their troops to attack Israel, David is loyal to his people and sets out to defend them from the impending attack.  This is a quality that we must imitate in our own lives.  We must be loyal to our Lord, family, friends and the many other people that the Lord places in our path. 

DAVID DEFEATS HIS ENEMIES: David sent out his army to defend his people from the attack.  The army of Israel was surrounded.  The Ammonites were on one side and the Syrians were on the other side.  Joab and his brother, the generals of Israel’s army, divided and agreed to help one another as needed as each one concentrated his attention in one direction.  This strategy worked because the Lord was with David’s army and both of these nations fell before the army of Israel.  God is faithful to defend His people even in the most difficult of circumstances and it seems that God is at His best when the odds are at their worst.  They trusted the Lord and He gave the victory.  When we are faced with difficult circumstances we can trust the Lord to do what is best, but we must also put forth our best effort in working together to gain the victory.  The Ammonites and Syrians learned a difficult lesson.  It is never wise to go against the people and plans of God.  We must submit to Him and obey Him in every circumstance He allows in our lives.